Life & Limb/Limb & Life Tasting at Brouwer’s Café Seattle

From L to R: Blogger Paul Orchard, Sierra Nevada’s Doug Willson, Sierra Nevada’s Chris Hem, Brouwer’s Café Bar Manager Nat Pellman, Mutineer Beer Editor Brian Kropf

Things got epic at the incredible Brouwer’s Café in Seattle last night with a Life & Limb/Limb & Life keg tapping. The place was packed with thirsty Sierra Nevada & Dogfish Head fans that came for the rare opportunity to try these rare collaborative beers, with Life & Limb making and appearance in Mutineer Issue 8. While Life & Limb is possible to find in bottle with a little creative tenacity, Limb & Life is some sort of mythical creation that is extremely difficult to find and only available in keg. And to try these two beers side by side? That’s just silly cool…

Sierra Nevada Founder Ken Grossman says, “People like Sam and Dogfish help to push the boundaries of beer, and it has been fun working with him and the Dogfish crew. This is our first time working with maple syrups in beer on this kind of scale, and the first time we know of anyone using birch syrup.“

Dogfish Head Founder Sam Calagione adds, “We have designed this beer to intertwine signature aspects of both of our breweries’ creative approaches-from sustainability to exotic sugars, from bottle conditioning to cellarability. I am hopeful that, as they toast each other, they can hold their heads up high knowing our two breweries were among the many fine breweries that breathed LIFE into the colorful, diverse, and beautiful LIMBS of the American craft-brewing family tree.”

Brouwer’s does a great job summarizing the beers:
Life & Limb is a collaborative effort, the brainchild of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Life & Limb is a 10% ABV strong, dark beer that defies style characteristics- brewed with pure maple syrup from the Calagione family farm in Massachusetts and estate barley grown on the Grossman “farm” at the brewery in Chico, CA. The beer is alive with yeast-a blend of both breweries’ house strains-bottle conditioned for added complexity and shelf life, and naturally carbonated with birch syrup fresh from Alaska.

Limb & Life is a ‘small’ beer, made from the second runnings of the larger brew, Life & Limb. Limb & Life has a roasted malt flavor reminiscent of dark roasted coffee and toasted bread, combined with a pronounced hoppiness from the use of bold and aromatic American hops.
Limb & Life is an easy drinking ‘session’ beer – an antidote to the heavy sippers, and a beer that begs for another glass. It is balanced yet flavorful, hoppy yet not without strong malt, and drinkable but still complex.Limb & Life will be an extrememly limited draft-only release.

Related Posts

1. Happy 30th Birthday Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
   On November 15, 1980 the first batch of Sierra Nevada beer made it through the brewhouse, helping to usher-in a new era of interesting, hand-crafted,...
2. The Secret Life of Bourbon Barrels
   Infographic by gustavkatz.com We found this infographic over on tastingtable.com and it was too cool not to share. It shows the lifespan of many bourbon...
3. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Named “Green Business of the Year” by EPA
   Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., easily one of my favorite breweries for a multitude of reasons, has yet another accolade to add to their repertoire of...
4. Sierra Nevada Opening a Brewery on the East Coast?
   OMG! Sierra Nevada might open up a brewery on the East Coast. Old News? Probably. The way that the company undertook the fact-finding mission, or...
5. Cause for Celebration – Sierra Nevada’s Seasonal Is Here
   Some beers are made more special by their rarity. These are the big imperial stouts, aged in even bigger bourbon barrels before finding their way...